The Boss DM-1 Delay Machine was Boss's first-ever analog delay unit, released in the late 1970s1. It belongs to the first generation of the company's delay pedals, before the better-known DM-2 and the long line of digital delays that followed.
What it does
The DM-1 produced analog delay using charge-coupled device (CCD) technology. In Boss's own history of its delay pedals, Jim Bybee explains that "the DM-1's circuit used a charge-coupled device (CCD), an electronic component that went on to be widely used in digital" applications4. CCD delay sits between the tape echoes that came before it and the bucket-brigade device (BBD) chips used in later analog designs like the DM-2 and the modern DM-101.
Where it came from
The DM-1 arrived as Boss moved away from tape. Guitar World's history notes that "The DM-1 had aimed to offer a more reliable, cheaper alternative to Boss' RE-series tape echo range, but the smaller, chassis and format carried over from those units: Bybee says "the DM-1 uses the same heavy-duty metal chassis and AC power configuration" as the earlier tape machines45. That AC power requirement is worth knowing: unlike later compact Boss pedals, the DM-1 was not a battery-powered stompbox.
The exact release year is reported differently: GuitarPlayer dates the original DM-1 Delay Machine to 1978, with a run from 1978 to 19802, while MusicRadar says "Waaay back in 1977 Boss released its first analogue delay pedal; the DM-1"3.
The DM-1 ran until 19802 and was followed by the DM-2, which Guitar World covers in its Classic Gear series2. Boss later revisited this analog territory with the DM-101 Delay Machine, the subject of the modern coverage that looks back at the original123.
Videos
Nail Guitar Skills
bob hermans
Dustin Altick
Questions
When was the Boss DM-1 released?
GuitarPlayer dates the original DM-1 Delay Machine to 1978, noting a production run from 1978 to 19802. MusicRadar's review of the modern DM-101 dates it a year earlier, saying Boss released its first analogue delay pedal, the DM-1, back in 19773. Either way it appeared in the late 1970s as Boss's first analogue delay unit.
What technology did the Boss DM-1 use?
The DM-1 was based on charge-coupled device (CCD) technology. In Boss's own history of its delay pedals, Jim Bybee explains that the DM-1's circuit used a CCD, an electronic component that went on to be widely used in digital applications4. It was an analogue delay design rather than a tape-based one.
Sources (5)
- Boss unveils the “ultimate stereo analogue delay”, the DM-101, Guitar.com, 2023-06-22
- If You Like Analog Delay You'll Love the New Boss DM-101 Delay Machine, GuitarPlayer (www.guitarplayer.com), 2023-06-22
- Boss DM-101 Delay Machine pedal review, MusicRadar, 2023-07-10
- Echoes in Time: The History of BOSS Delay Pedals, BOSS (articles.boss.info), 2024-01-10
- Classic gear: Boss DM-2, Guitar World, 2020-09-18
